Resto-Mod
Gyro Park was a myriad of various forms of the automobile this past weekend. Thankfully the weather was cooperative. When the weather is good there are more vehicles and more people spending a few hours ogling many an enthusiast’s labor of love.
The West Kootenay Smoke n Steel Auto Club puts on a great show (Cruisin’ the Columbia Car Show and Dance) and Gyro Park in Trail is a beautiful setting.
As I have written before I enjoy car shows. Every year I am hopeful that I will find more older vehicles benefiting from new technology. The classification of this type of vehicle in car show speak is a Resto-Mod. The definition seems to be a restored vehicle that has some sort of custom modification.
The vehicles on display at all shows almost always have their hoods raised. When approaching a sixties or seventies muscle car I am always hopeful to see a more modern powerplant under the hood. Yes, something from the 21st century.
The small block Chevy has stayed relatively true to form but technology has given us newer iterations. The latest LS small block Chevy V8s produce significantly more horsepower while using less fuel than ever. The Chevy LS has maintained its chain driven overhead two valves per cylinder packaging that allows it to fit anywhere the old small block Chevy would fit. It also can be easily squeezed in all kinds of sports cars of old.
This past weekend there were no LS motors swapped into any of those muscle cars of old. There was though a very large contingent of modern day Corvettes and their owners who really know what one of those LS versions of the small block V8 can do.
Okay a whole new motor might be too much of a change or it might be a stretch on the budget. My next hope was at least the sight of fuel injectors on top of those motors instead of a nineteen sixties carburetor. Again, I was disappointed.
Yes, sticking with a carburetor is probably the least expensive approach. You can still easily buy a new carburetor that works just the same as the one you lived with in the sixties. Wouldn’t you like your fully restored muscle car to run as well as your late model pickup truck?
I know a lot of you are thinking “I can still work on a carburetor with a screwdriver and a wrench”.
I challenge you though to put your new screwdriver and wrench (smartphone and multimeter) to work under the hood by installing a modern day multiport fuel injection system.
There are many manufacturers lined up hoping to sell you their versions. A fuel injection system will cost more money and challenge your brain but your rebuilt engine will thank you. Today’s long lasting engines are basically the result of the perfect fuel distribution of a port fuel injection system.
In the process of replacing that seven fifty double pumper you may develop the skill to lift the hood of your daily driver with a new level of confidence.
